8-2 FB Idaho Drought

 Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink. The water water everywhere I’m talking about is in Greenland with heavy snow melt. Though not a drop to drink is in South East Idaho where there is a severe drought.

 The headline news throughout the country on the agricultural side these days has been severe drought through the Southeast, Southwest, the Midwest and even the Northeast. The last several years, Idaho has been spared because of decent snowfall, excellent water management and a friendly climate. Not this year, at least in parts of Southeast Idaho. The Farm Service Agency recently announced that livestock producers can start grazing on CRP land. That’s when you know things are getting serious. Dick Rush, Executive Director of Idaho Farm Service Agency  talks about some of these local drought conditions: the most severe drought in Idaho is in Southeast Idaho, we already have had requests for haying and grazing. The other thing is in Malheur County, just over the border into Oregon, they had that huge 200,000 acre fire. Those producers, if they can find a farmer with CRP could potentially bring their cattle into Idaho on CRP land.